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Pixellot Productions On Rise

September 19, 2018

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

A year ago, Pixellot – the automated production solution for schools wishing to stream live video of their athletic events on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv – was in use at six schools across Michigan.

With the new school year underway, nearly two dozen schools are actively streaming events using Pixellot, with half of those schools streaming indoor and outdoor events. Several schools have more than two Pixellot units in place.

“Schools are finding that Pixellot provides a great opportunity to get a lot of their games out to their fans in a way they could never achieve,” said Mark Uyl, executive director of the MHSAA.  “We have some schools which are using a mix of their traditional, student-staffed, School Broadcast Program efforts along with Pixellot to be able to add subvarsity coverage; and schools going exclusively with Pixellot with installations at multiple venues.”

Pixellot units use from two to four High Definition cameras that cover the length of the playing surface and then focus on the ball and player movement to deliver the action. The unit communicates with the scoreboard to insert a time and score graphic on the screen. Ambient audio is picked up by the device, but the commentary of the public address announcer or the radio style play-by-play of an in-person announcing team also can be patched in.

All that has to be done from a school’s perspective is type in the event schedule and promote the fact that the games are available on MHSAA.tv. Pixellot does the rest. The unit also can be set up to isolate a camera on a fixed location, which allows for activities like cheer and wrestling to be streamed.

Schools actively engaged in Pixellot productions now include: Ann Arbor Greenhills, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Brighton, Calumet, Dollar Bay, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Fremont, Grand Blanc, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Harrison, Howell, Kalamazoo Christian, Macomb Lutheran North, Manchester, Norway, Novi, Otisville-LakeVille, Ovid-Elsie, Plainwell, Saginaw Heritage, Saline, Stevensville Lakeshore, Warren DeLaSalle and Williamston. Schools using indoor and outdoor units include Cranbrook Kingswood, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Grand Blanc, Howell, Manchester, Norway, Novi, Ovid-Elsie, Plainwell, Saginaw Heritage, Saline and Stevensville Lakeshore. Additional schools will have their Pixellot units coming online soon.

More than 70 percent of the programming taking place this week on MHSAA.tv will be Pixellot productions, featuring a football game Friday evening with two of the top-ranked Division 1 teams facing off for the top spot in the Saginaw Valley League’s Red division. Grand Blanc hosts Davison at 7 p.m. Both teams are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play, tied with Lapeer for first place.

Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by School Broadcast Program members and the NFHS Network:

Tuesday - Sept. 18

Wednesday - Sept. 19 

Thursday - Sept. 20

Friday - Sept. 21

Saturday - Sept. 22

Monday - Sept. 24

Tuesday - Sept. 25

All sporting events – live or delayed - are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants also will be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. 

Highlights of games broadcast during the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program contributors feature a pair of close football contests – Marquette’s 36-35 overtime win over Escanaba and Howell topping Novi, 21-17 – and a volleyball match with Lake Orion defeating Oxford, 3-0.

Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.

Streaming Season Begins on MHSAA TV

August 20, 2019

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

A new school year brings with it the start of more live streaming video of high school sporting events than ever before and a new website look for viewers on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv.
 
The NFHS Network Website and the member state high school association pages under that umbrella have been revamped for 2019-20, with an interface that improves functionality on desktop and laptop computers, as well as handheld devices.
 
Throughout the course of the school year, the number of schools appearing online will grow as more member schools will be installing Pixellot – the NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution – in stadiums and gymnasiums. More than 100 schools have signed up to install Pixellot units over the past few months.
 
This is the first full week of programming by MHSAA Members participating in the School Broadcast Program – either as a Pixellot or a traditionally-producing program giving students the hands-on opportunity to learn video production skills.  Here’s a list of the upcoming varsity level events taking place over the coming week:
 
Tuesday - Aug. 20
Boys Soccer - Stevensville Lakeshore  v. Edwardsburg   - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer – Comstock Park at Grand Rapids Catholic Central – 6:40 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi  v. Howell   - 7 PM
 
Wednesday - Aug. 21
Boys Soccer - Cedar Springs  v. Howard City Tri County   - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Stevensville Lakeshore  v. TBA  - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland  v. Hemlock   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Utica v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep  - 7:30 PM
 
Thursday - Aug. 22
Boys Soccer - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood  v. Brandon   - 4:30 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon East  v. Pinckney   - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Brighton  v. Canton   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi  v. Northville   - 7 PM
 
Friday - Aug. 23
Girls Volleyball - Fremont  v. White Cloud   - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball - Otisville LakeVille  v. Vassar   - 11:30 AM
Boys Soccer - Maple City Glen Lake  v. Traverse City Christian  - 3:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Manchester  v. Michigan Center   - 5:30 PM
 
Saturday - Aug. 24
Girls Volleyball – Waterford Our Lady v. TBA  - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball - Linden  v. TBA  - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball – Mt. Morris  v. Oscoda   - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball - Pellston  v. Mancelona   - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe  v. Deckerville Community   - 9 AM
Boys Soccer - Ithaca  v. TBA  - 10 AM
Boys Soccer - Ovid-Elsie  v. Laingsburg   - 10 AM
Boys Soccer - Stevensville Lakeshore  v. Ortonville Brandon   - 11 AM
Boys Soccer - Ithaca  v. Greenville   - 1:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Ithaca  v. TBA  - 3 PM
Boys Soccer - Ovid-Elsie  v. Perry   - 4 PM
Girls Volleyball - Pellston  v. Boyne City   - 5 PM
 
Monday - Aug. 26
Girls Volleyball – Ann Arbor Greenhills v. Whitmore Lake   - 9 AM
Boys Soccer - Maple City Glen Lake  v. Charlevoix   - 5 PM
Girls Field Hockey - Novi  v. Ann Arbor Pioneer   - 5 PM
Boys Soccer - Ithaca  v. Birch Run   - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer - St. Clair Shores Lake Shore  v. Clawson   - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland  v. Alma   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Howell  v. Hartland   - 7 PM
 
Tuesday - Aug. 27
Girls Volleyball - Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. TBA  - 1 PM
Boys Soccer - Ovid-Elsie  v. Byron Center Charter School  - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. TBA  - 5 PM
Boys Soccer - Manchester  v. Brooklyn Columbia Central   - 5:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Bloom. Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart v. Southfield Christian  - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer – Cedar Springs v. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens v. Berkley   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi  v. Salem   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon  v. Milford   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Troy  v. Clarkston   - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Birmingham Seaholm v. Bloomfield Hills – 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Lapeer v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep  - 7:30 PM ?
 
In addition, there are a number of sub-varsity contests and non-athletic events from school board meetings to daily school newscasts being streamed. Visit the MHSAA.tv Website for complete information.
 
Football games will begin as early as Aug. 28 with sub-varsity contests, and Aug. 29 with varsity games. The NFHS Network launches its Michigan schedule Aug. 29 with its annual coverage of the Prep Kickoff Classic in Detroit.
 
The Prep Kickoff Classic, conducted by the Detroit Sports Commission, is in its 15th year and takes place at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State University. Here’s the complete schedule:
 
Thursday - Aug. 29
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice v. Utica Eisenhower, 4 p.m.
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley v. Saline, 7 p.m.
 
Friday - Aug. 30
Birmingham Groves v. Grosse Pointe South, 4 p.m.
Muskegon v. Warren De La Salle, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday - Aug. 31
Detroit Catholic Central v. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1 p.m.
Detroit Cass Tech v. Chicago Wendell Phillips Academy, 4 p.m.
 
The NFHS Network also is working with FOX Sports Detroit to help promote the 2019 edition of Football Week In Michigan by making the games available to cable or satellite subscribers of that channel on FOX Sports GO!
 
In addition, the NFHS Network will send a School Broadcast Program crew to Atwood Stadium in Flint to cover the third annual Vehicle City Gridiron Classic. Here’s the schedule:
 
Thursday - Aug. 29
Grand Blanc v. Midland Dow, 4 p.m.
Goodrich v. Flint Powers Catholic, 7 p.m.
 
Friday, Aug. 30
Otisville LakeVille v. North Branch, 4 p.m.
Flint Carman-Ainsworth v. Port Huron, 7 p.m.
 
Now in its 11th year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. Pixellot – The NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution – is used by schools wishing to live stream games but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants benefit, as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. 

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.